Disposable paperboard cups and bowls find broad use in food service for containing hot or cold beverages. These articles are generally provided in one or more standardized sizes and are normally of a frustroconical shape that fits in the hand with upwardly open top. The rim is reinforced to retain its generally circular shape and may be adapted to receive an interlocking lid. Related food service containers include chili bowls, ice cream cones, Chinese take-out food boxes, hot dog wrappers, and even soda pop cans. Also of interest are seedling pots and biodegradable cups such as are used in the nursery business.
Most such container walls are generally thin, and in one popular application, jacketing sleeves have been used to add an insulative layer that protects the cup holder's hand from the heat of a beverage. Perhaps the earliest of these sleeves are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,028,566 and 5,205,473. More recent improvements designed to be cut from sheetstock are typified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,209,367, 5,425,497 and 5,826,786. An arcuate circumferential band is cut and slotted or glued at opposing ends to form a tapered sleeve for receiving a cup (see also US Pat. Appl. No. 2006/0000882). The devices are generally limited to thicker insulative material such as corrugated cardboard, and would be expected to have little insulative utility if made from thinner printing paper or card stock such as can be run through a laser or inkjet printer. The devices thus find a market in offset printing and die cutting processes where large scale production results in economy of scale. While commercially successful, devices of this type are increasingly generic and unappreciated, and do not offer unique opportunities for personal expression or targeted advertising.
Expired U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,333 to Ward, hereinafter the '333 device, discloses a combination of coaster and cup holder having a lower surface that is insulated and which contacts the cup, an upper surface intended for gripping, and a central slit. In use, a sleeve is formed by folding the lower surface back upon itself and then the slit is opened to receive the cup. Two flaps are exposed on either side of the cup and include an inferior hinged fold that resists slippage of the cup through the slit. Stress relief orifices are formed at either end of the slit, reducing the capacity of the sleeve to stay on the cup. A related structure using external flaps with hinge is shown in FIG. 16 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,858,015. However, neither of these devices suggest a means to avoid the awkward presence of the externally exposed flaps, which can cause the user to knock over or drop the cup unless the sleeve is carefully gripped to avoid mishaps.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,735 to Cai, hereinafter the '735 device, is cut from a planar sheet according to a pattern, cut crosswise at the center, and then folded with flaps outwardly exposed. After gluing, the flaps form raised lateral ridges (termed “wings”) that the inventor values as a hook for a removable cup lid and which are adapted to be grasped even when the cup itself is uncomfortably hot. The wings serve as a substitute for fold-out pressboard fingerhole handles known in the art. This again poses a disadvantage as was noted for the '333 device, i.e., the outwardly projecting ridges, tabs, wings, or handles can cause an unwary user to knock over or drop a drink, and require the user to carefully pick up the assembly with cup by the fingers, not by the hand, which is an invitation for accidents. Also, the folds of the sleeve must be carefully matched to the size and taper of the cup.
US Design Pat. No. D657202 to Sanders again depicts a foldable sheet having a hinge region formed of outwardly disposed tabs. Outwardly projecting tabs can cause the user to bump, bobble or lose grip on the cup, leading to spills and unpleasant near spills. These tabs also can interfere with raising the cup to one's mouth, and require that the user concentrate on how to grip the cup. This sleeve also may easily fall from the cup because the bottom of the sleeve does not contact the cup at the hinges. Perhaps not surprisingly, the products have been poorly received.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a container sleeve that overcomes the above disadvantages, that is economical in short run printing processes using sheetstock having a range of thicknesses, that enables building up insulation from multiple layers from thinner stock, that adapts its shape to fit cups ranging in size and taper, that permits double sided, reversible use, that is adapted for shaping customized borders around the sleeve, that permits home printing and small business uses for special events, that offers a choice of two reversible surfaces for displaying printed messages or graphics, and/or other advantages that will be apparent from the drawings and the accompanying disclosures herein. Also of interest are foldable pockets in the sleeve, such as are useful for inserting sugar or cane packets, or for inserting a folded napkin, advertising, instructions, messages, coupons, or the like, as would be carried inside the sleeve when in use, for example.